Show Notes
Nasa mission control scrambles to diagnose the Apollo 13 disaster. Aboard the spacecraft, warning lights flash and oxygen leaks into space, plunging Commander Jim Lovell and his crew into chaos. In Houston, his wife Marilyn receives a call, unaware the astronauts are losing far more than the Moon landing. With power failing in the Odyssey spacecraft and time running out, the crew face desperate action to survive. Hosted by Kevin Fong. Archive: Nasa Johnson Space Center Oral History Project Starring: Jim Lovell Jack Lousma Gene Kranz, courtesy of the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project Sy Liebergot Bob Heselmeyer, courtesy of the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project Fred Haise John Aaron Marilyn Lovell Written by Kevin Fong and Andrew Luck-Baker Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music. Produced by the BBC Radio Science Unit for the BBC World Service.
More from 13 Minutes: Trouble with Hubble
A devastating discovery is turning the crown jewel of astronomy into an embarrassing failure. Hubble isn’t seeing the universe as it should. Why are the pictures blurry? Nasa’s revolutionary telescope is in orbit and the space agency should be celebrating. Instead, it launches an investigation. Nasa’s Director of Astrophysics, Charlie Pellerin, has been on holiday in Japan. He returns to hear the devastating news. Meanwhile, it’s chief Nasa scientist, Ed Weiler’s job to face the press, and tell the world the truth. What’s gone wrong? How are they going to fix it? Three hundred and eighty miles above Earth, Hubble floats alone in the darkness, with the problem hopelessly out of reach. Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music. Archive: Mission audio and oral histories, Nasa History Office Episode image: The Hubble Space Telescope's primary mirror being ground at the Perkin-Elmer Corporation's large optics fabrication facility in 1979, more than a decade before its very small but very significant flaw was discovered. Credit: Nasa 13 Minutes: Trouble with Hubble is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service. Presenter: Dame Dr Maggie Aderin Series producer: Harrison Lewis Sound design: Tony Churnside Series editor: Ilan Goodman Senior commissioning producer: Katy Davis Commissioning editor: Jon Manel
High above the Earth, the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery race against the clock to lift the Hubble Space Telescope from its storage bay and give it a new home in orbit. They have just eight hours to release the telescope and deploy its solar panels, giving Hubble the power it needs to begin its mission. If they fail, Hubble will be left drifting in space, a useless, $1.6 billion telescope, another devastating new setback for Nasa. Featuring interviews with astronauts Kathy Sullivan and Steve Hawley. Episode image: The Hubble Space Telescope being deployed on April 25, 1990. Credit: Nasa Archive: Mission audio and oral histories, Nasa History Office Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music. 13 Minutes: Trouble with Hubble is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service. Presenter: Dame Dr Maggie Aderin Series producer: Harrison Lewis Sound design: Tony Churnside Series editor: Ilan Goodman Senior commissioning producer: Katy Davis Commissioning editor: Jon Manel
Our view of the universe could be transformed by one of the most ambitious scientific instruments ever built but a terrible disaster strikes Nasa. After decades of meticulous planning, will the Hubble Space Telescope make it into space? Nasa is in a state of emergency. The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986 means the space agency is under intense scrutiny. Its reputation is wounded, and public interest in spaceflight is beginning to fade. It is betting on a feat of engineering genius: the successful launch and deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope. Nasa believes the telescope is capable of doing the impossible: peering deeper into the universe than ever before and unlocking some of its greatest secrets. But Hubble is delicate and extraordinarily complex and it will be Astronaut Kathy Sullivan’s responsibility to help get it into space, no matter what. Archive: Mission audio and oral histories, Nasa History Office Episode image: The Hubble Space Telescope ready for transportation to the Kennedy Space Centre in 1989. Credit: Nasa Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music. 13 Minutes: Trouble with Hubble is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service. Presenter: Dame Dr Maggie Aderin Series producer: Harrison Lewis Sound design: Tony Churnside Series editor: Ilan Goodman Senior commissioning producer: Katy Davis Commissioning editor: Jon Manel
Buckle up for the latest epic story from the BBC’s space podcast. The Hubble Space Telescope was revolutionary but a flaw almost ruined the dream. It was hoped it would answer the most fundamental questions ever asked: How did it all begin? Where are we going? Are we alone? Maggie Aderin tells the story of how the telescope that transformed our understanding of the universe, almost ended in disaster. Launches on 5 October. 13 Minutes: Trouble with Hubble is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service. Hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin. Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music. Archive: Mission audio and oral histories, Nasa History Office
Some big news: We’ve been making a new season. It’s about Nasa’s Hubble Space Telescope. If you haven’t already, follow or subscribe, so you will get the full trailer automatically. That will be published next week. Maggie Aderin will tell the story of how the telescope that transformed our understanding of the universe, almost ended in disaster. 13 Minutes: Trouble with Hubble launches on 5 October 2026. In the meantime, please keep sending us your questions: [email protected] We’ll be back to answer those in a few months – more details to follow. You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YD3hBqmw26B8WMHt6GkQxG/lives-less-ordinary-privacy-notice 13 Minutes is the BBC World Service’s space podcast.